The Storm That Changes The World
by TheGoldman
Summary: When Thor is banished to New Mexico, a second person also falls through the Bifrost. Drawing from Marvel Cinematic Universes (X-Men, Amazing Spiderman, Avengers).
1. Chapter 1

I'm only going to write a disclaimer once, at the start of this story. The fact that it's going on a FANfiction website should give it away, but I'll say it now. I am neither JK Rowling or Stan Lee (although I kinda wish I was Stan Lee). I own none of the characters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe(s), and I don't own Harry Potter either.

-.-Chapter 1-.-

A whirling storm, all around him. Colours flashing across his eyes. The howling of the wind. The crack of thunder, and the burst of lightning. He fell to the floor with a thud, unconscious.

A second figure fell from the sky, landing in the middle of the storm on his feet. He staggered drunkenly forwards, before –

The minivan slammed into him, throwing him to the floor. Three people stepped out, an old man and two young women. One of them checked his pulse, declaring him alive. Then, when he opened his eyes and lunged forward aggressively, the other shot him with a Taser, knocking him out.

As they re-entered the minivan, something caught the old man's eye. "Over there." He pointed. "Is that ..." He squinted, looking more closely. "There's another body over there!"

One of the women drove the minivan closer, and the old man dragged the second body into the van, after declaring him to still be alive. As the man took the wheel, the women looked at the two unconscious men. One had long blonde hair and a closely-trimmed beard, and a distinguished look about him. The other had black hair, and wore glasses. One of the women brushed his hair back, to see a scar on his forehead in the shape of a lightning bolt.

-.-.-

Harry Potter was familiar with the sensation of waking up from unconsciousness in a hospital bed, having done so fairly regularly throughout his school days. He was unfamiliar, however, with the sensation of waking up with restraints around his wrists and ankles.

He groaned, and the noise alerted the doctor in the room. "Ah, you're awake." The doctor said, looking at the chart at the foot of the bed.

"Where am I?" Harry asked.

"You're in hospital. You were found last night in a storm, along with another man. You didn't have any identification on you, just a pair of glasses and clothes."

"Yes, I do rather need them. If you'd release me, I'd like to be able to see properly again." Harry was lying, he'd had his vision corrected shortly after defeating Voldemort, and the glasses were simple glass frames instead of prescription lenses. The doctor didn't know that, though.

"The glasses are clear glass, sir. Why do you need them?" Apparently, the doctor did know that.

"Sentimentality." Harry said, throwing him a charming grin. "I needed glasses throughout my childhood, and when I had laser surgery, I had them replaced with clear lenses. Everyone knew me for having glasses, and without them no-one really recognised me."

"I'm sorry sir, we'll need a few details about yourself first before we release you. Your companion didn't have any identification either, and he attacked the staff when he awoke."

Harry frowned. "My companion? Could you describe him to me?"

The doctor nodded. "He was tall, about six feet. Dark blond hair, beard. Grey eyes."

Harry shook his head. He didn't recognise the description. "I don't know him. What details did you need from me?"

"Your name didn't appear on any of our servers, so we're going to need some proof of identity."

Harry thought for a second, before answering. "My name is Daniel Merlin." It was his established codename, a fake identity he'd had set up for undercover work with the Aurors. He didn't trust what was going on here, as things had been strange since he'd been taken by that portal. He certainly didn't want his real name going on record.

The doctor nodded, and began typing at a computer. He frowned. "There is no such identity on record. Do you have a contact number?"

"0800 00 62442. That's the number of my workplace." It was the number of the Auror Department, surely Dennis or Ron would be working and answer.

The doctor walked over to the landline on the wall, and dialled in the number. He stood for a minute, before hanging up the phone and walking back to the table. "That number doesn't exist. Who are you, really?"

Harry's eyes widened in shock. If the Auror Department number – which was magically enhanced, so it could be connected from anywhere on the planet – couldn't be reached ... where was he? Harry was so distracted by his thoughts, he didn't notice the needle until it pierced his skin.

"It's just a sedative." He faintly heard the doctor say, as he slipped into unconsciousness.

-.-.-

Harry woke up, dizzy and confused. He was handcuffed to a chair, in a dark and empty room. There was one more chair, and a desk separating him from it. On the desk was a folder, labelled MERLIN.

Looking around, Harry saw a man standing by the desk. He was fairly unremarkable, average height, with short brown hair. There was an earpiece in one ear, and Harry could see the outline of a gun holstered underneath his jacket.

"What's going on?" Harry asked, knowing full well what was going on. He just wanted to see if this man – an Agent Coulson, according to his ID badge – was going to be honest.

"Two men fell from the sky three days ago. One of them has since broken out of the hospital, and then broken into a top-secret facility, before revealing himself to be the Norse god Thor. The other is sitting in front of me."

Harry smirked. "So, you think I'm what? Some sort of alien? Or a god?"

"Are you?" Coulson asked, a similar smirk on his face.

"No, I'm not. Look, something strange is going on here." Harry decided to be honest. "I don't even know where I am, but I suspect that this isn't the world I'm familiar with."

"So you are an alien? If this isn't the planet you're familiar with." Coulson asked, a crafty smile on his face.

"No." Harry replied. "I think ... I might be in an alternate universe. My real name is Harry Potter, and I'm a wizard."

Coulson laughed. "Of course you are, Mr Potter." He then gestured to the folder. "Or is it Mr Merlin? That sounds more wizardly to me."

Harry shook his head. "Daniel Merlin is one of my aliases back home, I usually use it for undercover work."

Coulson slammed a hand on the desk. "So you are a spy! Who are you working for?"

Harry swore. This was clearly going nowhere. So he focused on the folder on the desk, and it began to levitate, startling Coulson, who drew his gun, aiming it at Harry.

"What are you doing?" He demanded.

"Wandless magic, Agent Coulson." Harry answered. "And this is nothing compared to what I could do, if you continue to hold me here. I want to talk to your boss." Harry was bluffing, of course. He'd learned wandless magic after defeating Voldemort, from Aberforth Dumbledore. It was a nice parlour trick, but nothing more. Levitating light objects, like paper or fabric, was possible. Anything else, like throwing fireballs or lightning from his fingertips, was not. That sort of thing was impossible without a magical focus. Coulson didn't know that, though.

Coulson stood up, and walked out of the room.

-.-.-

It wasn't too long before Coulson returned, accompanied by a tall black man. He was bald, with a neatly-trimmed goatee. But his most distinguishing feature was the eyepatch covering his left eye.

Harry leant back in his chair. "So you're the boss, I assume?"

"I ask the questions here." The unfamiliar man responded. "What are you?"

"I'll tell you what I am if you tell me who you are." Harry responded.

The man smiled maliciously. "I'm Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Harry frowned. As an Auror, he knew most of the secret organisations across the world. He'd never heard of SHIELD, which made his alternate universe theory seem more believable. "Nice to meet you, Nick. I'm Harry. I'd shake your hand, but ..." He gestured to the handcuffs.

"Your freedom rests on whether or not we see you as a threat, Mr Potter." Fury paced, keeping his eye fixed on Harry. Coulson was leaning against the wall next to the door, also watching Harry.

"I'm no threat to you, Mr Fury. If you'd let me go, I need to return to where I was found, and then I'll quite happily disappear." It was a fair offer.

"Coulson tells me you fancy yourself a magician. Prove it." Fury demanded.

Harry simply smirked. "Of course, Mr Fury." He focused on Coulson's tie, and tugged it forward wandlessly. Coulson stumbled after it, and Fury chuckled.

"Not bad, Potter." Fury commented. "Why are you here, and what do you want?"

Harry sighed. "Can I be uncuffed first? I've been sat like this for quite a while, and it's getting uncomfortable."

Fury nodded, and Coulson unlocked the handcuffs. Harry rubbed his wrists, before resting his hands on the desk.

"You ask interesting questions, Fury. I've been wondering about them myself." Harry could tell that Fury wasn't the sort of man to put up with bullshit, so decided to tell the truth. "My name is Harry Potter, and I'm a wizard. I suspect I'm from an alternate reality, where magic is real, and there are more wizards around than just me. I'm twenty years old, born on July the thirty-first. My job is an Auror, which is the wizarding equivalent to a policeman."

Fury nodded. "Okay. Mr Potter, I'd like to offer you a job, of sorts. SHIELD will set up an identity for you, and in return, when we call on you, you will answer."

"What job?" Harry asked, curious. "And how come you believe me?"

Fury chuckled menacingly. "When you've been around as long as I have, you can tell when someone's being honest with you." Fury placed a file in front of Harry. "Have you ever heard of the Avengers Initiative?"

-.-End Chapter 1-.-

AN: So, Harry's been thrown straight into the deep end here, with interrogations from the two most awesome guys in the Marvel movies! The events of Thor have played out just the same, as have the events of Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America and Iron Man 2. Avengers will play out differently, though, with a wizard on the team.


	2. Chapter 2

The response so far to this story has been overwhelming, and I'd like to thank everyone who's followed, favourited or reviewed this story. You 16 reviewers, 63 favouriters (and yes, that is a word now), and 144 followers are all awesome people. Updates shall come every Saturday, unless earth-shattering events (such as lack of Wi-Fi or writer's block) delay me, in which case I'll try my hardest to get it out as soon as I can.

I'd also like to address a criticism of the previous chapter here. Several reviews have said that Fury let Harry join the team too easily, and believed Harry too easily. Maybe he did, but let's look at the other members of the Avengers in the film. Thor joins after having just tried to kill Iron Man and Cap, Hulk's considered to be such a threat, they already have his execution chamber/cell ready. Fury wants Harry as an ally, because he might be useful. Better to make him a friend than an enemy. Also, it's a lot easier to track someone when they work for your super-secret spy organisation. Plus, Fury's seen enough weird shit to dismiss Harry's story out of hand. Now, on with the story!

-.-Chapter 2-.-

Three hours later, after having told the short version of his life story, Harry Potter was an official agent of SHIELD, and was sitting in the back of a Jeep on the way to his arrival point. He now had a pistol holstered on his hip, and a full set of identification, including a credit card that charged expenses to one of SHIELD's various bank accounts.

The Jeep pulled up, and Harry leapt out, immediately looking at the ground. He knew his wand was logically somewhere nearby, he just couldn't see it. He reached out with his magic, levitating a layer of sand above his head to clear the ground. It wasn't there.

"Shit." Harry muttered, before raising his voice and speaking to the other occupant of the Jeep. "Do you know who the people who took me to the hospital are, and where I can find them?"

Coulson raised his sunglasses and looked at Harry. "We're SHIELD. Of course we know."

"Without the snark, please?" Harry asked, chuckling despite himself.

"The van was registered to a Jane Foster. She lives in the town of Puente Antiguo."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "'Ancient Bridge', huh? That's ... interesting."

Coulson nodded, as Harry got back into the Jeep. "She's a scientist, studies astrophysics. Quite revolutionary research, really."

"You know much about astrophysics?" Harry asked, curious.

Coulson shook his head. "Not really. We had to confiscate her research briefly recently, but we returned it."

"Why'd you take it?"

"We thought the knowledge was too dangerous." Coulson answered. "She had data on how the portal that brought Thor here formed."

"So this Jane Foster might be able to re-create the portal, and allow us to send people up to Asgard?"

"It's possible. That's why we're also going to recruit her to work with SHIELD. This research could be important."

Harry nodded in understanding. Combining resources could help, allowing Jane and her team to access data they wouldn't have otherwise. It was a sound tactical move, really.

-.-.-

Harry and Coulson drove into Puente Antiguo, and the first thing Harry noticed was that the town looked like a battlefield. Burnt-out cars and broken buildings ruined the small town.

"What happened here?" Harry asked.

"Thor and some sort of Asgardian robot had a battle." Coulson answered. "Thor won."

Harry smirked. The level of destruction was on a par with how Hogwarts had been after he defeated Voldemort. It seemed Thor was a force to be reckoned with, and Harry fully understood why Fury wanted to recruit him into the Avengers Initiative. Anyone who could do something like this was someone you wanted on your side.

"Over there." Coulson pointed to a building, where Harry could see three people working. "The man is Erik Selvig, Jane Foster's the one working on the computer, and the girl on the sofa is Darcy Lewis."

Harry nodded. "How do you want to play this?"

"Polite, I think." Coulson suggested. "After all, they might not have the fondest of memories when it comes to me."

"That's what happens when you take away a genius' research." Harry remarked, before suddenly paling. He sat down on a piece of rubble, running his fingers through his hair, breathing deeply.

"What's wrong?" Coulson asked.

"I just realised ... I might not be able to get home." Harry said, fighting to stay fairly calm. "If Hermione was here, she'd be working on a way back right now, I'm sure of it."

Coulson nodded in sympathy. "Can I ask who Hermione is to you?"

Harry sighed. "Hermione ... she's my best friend. We met on the train to Hogwarts, the very first day. She's an absolute genius, the smartest person I've ever known. But no, she wasn't what you're implying."

Coulson placed a reassuring hand on Harry's back. "Life throws all sorts of problems at us, Harry. You've got to roll with the punches, that's all."

Harry stayed still for another minute or so, before standing again. "Thanks, Coulson. I needed that."

Coulson shook his head. "Call me Phil, Harry."

"Thanks, Phil."

-.-.-

Darcy Lewis was annoyed. This past week had been weird, ever since those two cute guys had fallen from the sky. Jane had hit one of them twice with her van, and then they'd found out that apparently Norse gods were real. All of their electrical equipment – including her iPod, infuriatingly – had been confiscated by those guys in suits, who claimed to be some organisation called SHIELD, and then Jane and Thor had gone and broken into their base. Erik had bailed them out, and Thor's friends had showed up, dressed like they were going to a Renaissance Fair or something. Then some giant robot had destroyed half of the town, before Thor killed it, and then he left. Jane was heartbroken, having really fallen for him. And then the SHIELD guys had returned their equipment, and Jane had thrown herself back into her work.

A knocking on the glass door caught Darcy's attention, and she looked up from her book to see two men. One of them was the leader of the SHIELD people, and the other ... it was the other man. The other guy they'd found in the storm, the black-haired man with the lightning scar. His glasses were gone now, and he wore a suit like the SHIELD guy did, with a gun and everything. She got up and opened the door.

"Darcy Lewis?" The black-haired guy asked. When she nodded, the man smiled. "I'm Agent Potter, and this is Agent Coulson. Can we come in?"

"Sure, as long as you don't try to steal our stuff again." Darcy muttered, and then winced when she realised both of them heard her. Instead of being angry, though, Agent Potter just smiled.

"Actually, Agent Coulson had something to say about that." Agent Potter said, a mischievous smile on his face. "Go on, say it."

Agent Coulson sighed. "I apologise for confiscating your equipment."

Darcy laughed. "It's fine, just don't do it again." She led the two into the front room, sitting on the sofa again. "What's this about, Agents?"

Agent Potter sat down on the sofa next to her, while Agent Coulson stood, ready to speak. Jane and Erik had stopped what they were doing to listen. "We'd like to make you an offer."

"What sort of offer?" Darcy interrupted. "Is it 'an offer we can't refuse?'" She joked. Only Agent Potter laughed with her, and Jane shot her a look, telling her to shut up.

"SHIELD has resources that you don't have access to." Agent Coulson continued. "We'd like the three of you to become technical consultants on SHIELD's payroll, where we'll fund your research into the Einstein-Rosen bridge."

"Why?" Jane asked harshly.

"You're not the only one who'd like to see Thor again." Agent Potter answered. "I'd like to know more about this form of travel, and I'm willing to bet that Thor could answer some of my questions. I just need to meet him, when neither of us is unconscious." He rubbed his temples. "I'd also like to thank all three of you, for taking me to the hospital when you found me."

"You won't harm him." Jane threatened, and Agent Potter laughed.

"You think I can harm the Norse god of thunder?" He smiled broadly. "I doubt anything I can do could hurt him."

"Erik, what do you think?" Jane asked, turning to her mentor.

Erik frowned. "It seems like a genuine offer, Jane. And we do need the funding."

Jane shook her head. "I don't like it. It feels like a deal with the devil."

"I think we should do it." Darcy interjected. "These SHIELD guys seem pretty well-off, and to be honest, I'm sick of this town. Crappy reception, terrible Wi-Fi ... and there aren't any cute guys here. Present company excepted." She said, shooting Agent Potter a wink, and was pleased to see him blush slightly.

"Very well." Jane said miserably. "I don't trust you, but ... we accept your offer."

Agent Potter smiled, and Agent Coulson nodded in approval, before speaking. "There's just one more thing. Agent Potter is concerned that some of his belongings might have been accidentally left in your van."

Darcy stood. "I'll go and have a look."

Agent Potter stood too. "I doubt you'll recognise it."

"Then tell me what it looks like, and I can help you, Agent Potter." Darcy shot back.

Agent Potter sighed. "Please, don't call me 'Agent Potter' all of the time. Just call me Harry."

Darcy grinned. "Sure thing, Agent Potter."

-.-.-

It had taken about ten minutes of searching before Darcy found the small pouch, and held it up for Harry to inspect.

"Yes, that's it." He said, breathing out a sigh of relief. "Pass it here."

Instead of throwing it to him, as he'd expected, she opened it, and frowned. "Why were you fussing so much over an empty bag?"

Harry laughed. "It's empty, is it?" He held his hands up, and she closed it and threw it to him. He opened it, and pulled out an old piece of parchment.

"How did you do that?" Darcy asked, astonished.

"A magician never reveals his secrets." Harry said with a wink, and his tone made it sound as if there was some sort of private joke there.

"What else can you do then, Mr Magician?" She teased.

Harry reached back into the pouch and pulled out a long stick. It was about a foot long, possibly shorter, with a carved handle. "Holly and phoenix feather, 11 inches." He muttered to himself.

"What's the stick for, Harry?" Darcy asked.

"It's no stick." Harry replied, grinning. "It's a wand." He tapped it against the parchment and muttered. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Nothing happened.

"Shit. I guess I'm really gone then." He dropped the wand in shock, staring at the parchment. The Marauders' Map had never before failed to work. Even when Ron had spilled a bottle of Firewhiskey over it and it had caught fire, it was still fine. Here, though, it just seemed to be a piece of parchment.

"You have a piece of parchment and a stick. Not exactly definite proof of your magic-ness." Darcy remarked.

"There's more in here, you know." He said, gesturing to the pouch again. Sticking a hand in, he felt the shimmering fabric, and pulled out his Invisibility Cloak. "This should be enough proof for you, Darcy." He threw the Cloak over himself, and smirked when Darcy gasped in shock as he disappeared.

He poked his head out from under the Cloak. "Pretty cool, huh?" He remarked, chuckling at Darcy's stunned face. "Want to give it a spin?"

Darcy's face lit up in a malicious smile.

-.-End Chapter 2-.-

AN: Harry's got his kit back! It's all in the mokeskin pouch, which has an Undetectable Extension Charm on it (He was inspired by Hermione's beaded bag). He'll play around with them next chapter, and I may explore what else he's got in there. Yes, the Marauders' Map is magically protected, I can't see the Marauders not making sure it couldn't be destroyed. However, it's useless here. The Holly and Phoenix feather wand is the only one he has, and the contents of the pouch are all the magical items he'll have. This means no Elder Wand, no Resurrection Stone, and no broomsticks either. He wasn't expecting to be pulled into the Marvel Cinematic Universe(s), and that'll be explored in future chapters too.


	3. Chapter 3

One thing that really bothers me is when people leave reviews when not signed in, and they raise questions I'd actually like to respond to. In future, sign in, yeah? Good. Now, about that background for why Harry fell that Miss Bernadette asked for: Harry doesn't know that yet, and you'll find out when Harry finds out, which won't be until at least after he meets Thor. I've also addressed the whole "Harry goes along with everything too easily" concern a few people have raised in this chapter. Enjoy!

-.-Chapter 3-.-

Jane, Coulson and Erik were discussing possible SHIELD bases for them to relocate to, when the door to the garage opened. Jane turned her head, but didn't see anyone. It must have just been the wind.

Underneath the Cloak, Darcy and Harry crept closer. He was surprised to note that Coulson seemed to have noticed something, mentally praising the agent's observational skills. Jane and Erik, of course, hadn't noticed anything yet, but he hadn't expected them to.

They stopped just short of the sofa, and exchanged grins. Darcy then grabbed Jane from behind, dragging her off the sofa, laughing hysterically as Jane screamed. Coulson and Erik leapt to their feet, Coulson pulling his pistol from his holster. Upon seeing Harry and Darcy, partially invisible under the Cloak, he joined them in laughter. Erik, too, saw the funny side, but Jane wasn't so amused.

"What the hell are you playing at, Darcy? Where did you come from, anyway?" Jane shouted, before noticing the Cloak. "Why are you partially invisible?"

Harry balled the Cloak up, stuffing it into his pouch. "That'd be my fault, actually. I just found my things, and decided to try out a family heirloom. This was my dad's Invisibility Cloak. Darcy suggested the prank, though."

"Traitor!" Darcy cried, slapping him on the arm playfully.

"Invisibility?" Coulson asked, shocked. The possible tactical applications of such a tool ... Fury would want to know about this, and Romanoff would kill for it.

Harry smirked, knowing what line Coulson's mind was going along. "I'll let you borrow it, if you ask nicely. Your tech guys can have a look too, see if you can make something similar with technology."

"What's it made of?" Jane asked. "It felt just like regular fabric, but I don't know anything that can ..."

"Make you invisible?" Harry answered. "This one was made of Demiguise hair, according to my dad's friends. That's a specific magical creature, you're unlikely to find one here. I've also seen some with Concealment Charms, Disillusionment Charms, and Bedazzling Hexes on them."

"Are you like Thor, then?" Erik asked, his expression filled with a boyish curiosity.

"Not quite." Harry said. "Have you chosen which SHIELD base you'd like to be assigned to?"

Jane shook her head. "I think that the New York base would be a good idea, but Erik thinks that Washington would be better."

"The Library of Congress will have every book we could need." Erik argued. "The resources there are far superior to the ones in New York."

"The New York Public Library has plenty of books too, and Oscorp is there too." Jane pointed out. "They'd be likely to share resources with SHIELD, wouldn't they?" Coulson nodded, but before he could speak, Jane continued. "And Stark Industries is setting up their new Tower in New York, too. Their resources would be useful as well."

"Stark'll definitely share resources with SHIELD, we have a deal with him." Coulson confirmed. "Oscorp will too, but, believe it or not, Stark's an easier guy to deal with than Osborn. Plus, SHIELD can ship anything you need from anywhere across the world."

"I think we should go to New York." Darcy agreed. "I've always wanted to go to the Statue of Liberty."

"Actually, the Director has another project he'd like Dr Selvig to work on, at one of our more isolated facilities." Coulson said. "Our New York facility has everything you'll need, though."

"I'm actually planning to go to New York too in a few weeks, so you'll have a familiar face there." Harry said, a pensive look on his face. "I've just got something to check up on in England first."

"What about you, Agent Coulson?" Jane asked. She was still wary of him, but he seemed to be a decent enough man.

"I'm going with Dr Selvig. Director Fury wants me to supervise the project."

"What is this project?" Erik asked. "If I'm going to be working on it, I'll need to know."

"We'll discuss this later." Coulson said, as though it was the end of the discussion. In response, Harry silently hit him with a tracking charm, and then hit Erik with one for good measure. This way, he could check up on them if he needed to, and it wasn't like SHIELD could detect spells. Reassuring Darcy and Jane would also win him points with the ladies later, as he could tell that Erik meant a lot to them, and they'd want to know he was safe.

-.-.-

"Why did you join up with SHIELD?" Jane asked. Coulson and Erik had already left, after Harry had reassured them that he'd be able to travel safely on his own. Darcy had gone to pack her things, while Harry was helping Jane put her computers into a moving van SHIELD had provided.

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure." Harry said, rubbing his temples. "I know that Director Fury asked me to join for a reason, and I'm assuming it's because of my magic. I just don't know why I told him about it in the first place."

Jane looked thoughtful for a minute. "Could this portal you fell through have made you more trusting?"

Harry laughed. "No, I don't think so. I'm no expert on weird inter-dimensional portals that take you when you least expect it, but I don't think they'd make me trusting."

"Maybe it's a medical thing then?" Jane joked.

Harry considered it. "It actually could be. Wizards don't really spend a lot of time in hospital, since a lot of injuries can be repaired quickly with a potion or two. I once had every bone in my arm re-grown after they were accidentally removed, and it was done overnight. I haven't taken non-magical medication since I was about ten years old. What sort of drugs are usually administered in hospitals?"

"Anaesthetics, anti-inflammatories, paracetamol, morphine ..." Jane began to list common drugs, and Harry snapped his fingers at the last one.

"Morphine? The one that's made from opium?" He asked.

"Yes, that's the one." Jane confirmed.

"That's it, then." Harry said. "Various natural substances in the world have natural effects on magic. From what I know, cannabis and opium are the main plants that have an effect on a wizard's magic. Cannabis can be used to calm a wizard's magic down, and is commonly used as a treatment for wizards who frequently have incidents of accidental and uncontrollable magic. Opium is used as one of the main ingredients in Veritaserum, a powerful truth potion that's very difficult to brew."

"So when you were hooked up to morphine, you were being filled with a mild version of a truth potion?" Jane asked.

"Not quite." Harry said. "My friend Neville's probably the one who knows the most about this, since he's a Herbology teacher. But from what I understand, opium is used in other potions as well. Calming Draughts and the like, mostly. So he theorised that taking regular opium makes a wizard somewhat more honest and open about discussing things they wouldn't normally."

"Looks like he was right." Jane replied.

-.-.-

Once they'd finished packing up Jane's house, Harry Apparated to the nearest airport. He didn't have the magical strength to Apparate across continents; that would have been beyond even Dumbledore. At a push, he could probably make it across the country, but he wouldn't risk going across the ocean. He boarded the first flight to Heathrow, London. He had some places to check up on.

His first destination was Charing Cross Road, where he walked up and down the street twice. No matter how hard he looked, he couldn't see the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron.

His next destination was a valley in the highlands of Scotland, where he remembered there to be a small village. The village wasn't there either, and neither was the castle that should have been about half a mile from the village. With no sign of Hogsmeade, or Hogwarts itself, Harry knew for sure that the magical world simply didn't exist in this universe.

As he thought for another location to check, having Apparated to the Rookery, 12 Grimmauld Place and the Burrow, he had a brainwave. "Kreacher!" Harry called for the house-elf Sirius Black had left him. He waited a minute ... two ... but nothing. Evidently, Kreacher couldn't hear him, wherever he was. He was truly alone.

-.-.-

Harry Apparated back to Heathrow, feeling utterly lost. He had no home any more, since the Wizarding World didn't exist. He'd really, truly, never see Ron or Hermione again. He'd never see Ginny, his ex-girlfriend who he cared for almost as much as he did Ron or Hermione. He'd never meet up with Neville, Dean and Seamus for drinks at the Hog's Head, or work at the joke shop with George and Lee. He'd never go for a walk with Luna, looking for some of her imaginary creatures. He'd never enjoy one of Mrs Weasley's home-cooked meals, or Mr Weasley's stories about what happened to some 'Muggle artefacts'.

He'd just have to create a new life, in this world. SHIELD had given him an identity, a job, and a purpose. The Avengers Initiative that Fury had described to him appealed to his 'saving-people thing' perfectly, and even though it was officially cancelled, he was still trying to set it all up. There was a scientist in Calcutta, a super-soldier in Washington, Tony Stark's Iron Man armour in New York. Fury had also mentioned two SHIELD agents, Barton and Romanoff, who were suitable to join the team, and was looking towards recruiting Stark's friend, a Colonel who had access to similar armour to Stark. There were other heroes he'd mentioned, one in New York and another in Africa, but they were more reluctant to work with SHIELD. The hero in New York was actually one of the reasons he was going there, to try and convince him that SHIELD was a useful ally to have.

-.-End Chapter 3-.-

AN: Shorter chapter here, but this was a good place to end. I'm not overly happy with the second half of this chapter, but it'll do. As you can probably guess by the 'other heroes' that Harry refers to, there'll be more heroes than just those in the Avengers film present this time. I don't think it's too hard to guess the heroes' identities that are mentioned in this one if you're familiar with Marvel. The idea that Muggle drugs were the reason Harry was so trusting was suggested by the reviewer Mad about the Boro in a PM. The idea that opium, cannabis and the like are actually wizarding treatments isn't one I've come across before, but I like it. Regular people act differently when they take opium or cannabis, and this story's reasoning is because it's supposed to be used by people with magic, not people without magic. It's just a bit of trivia, really, and is highly unlikely to have an impact on the story any further. Next chapter, we'll meet a true New Yorker, and Harry'll have a conversation about responsibilities.


	4. Chapter 4

Once again, I'd like to thank everyone who's read, reviewed, favourited, followed, or added this story to their communities. I don't even know how to use communities on this site, but I'm guessing it's a good thing that 7 of you have added it to your communities.

-.-Chapter 4-.-

Harry was very impressed by New York City. The skyline was like nothing he'd ever seen before, with the Empire State Building, Oscorp Tower and Stark Tower all jostling for the position of most impressive building. Times Square was a blur of lights and flashing billboards, and the Statue of Liberty was a construction Harry doubted wizards could ever have rivalled. It was a city that a person could easily lose themselves in, if they were so inclined.

Harry spent most of his first day roaming the streets, exploring New York and familiarising himself with the sprawling metropolis. He was staying at the SHIELD base, having dropped by as soon as his flight landed to set up his room.

On his second day, Harry decided to start looking for the superhero Fury had asked him to recruit, who went by the name Spider-Man. He apparently had a fondness for fighting petty crime, so Harry headed towards the Bronx. He'd heard that it was the roughest part of the city, so it would logically be the place Spider-Man checked most frequently.

He'd only been looking for fifteen minutes before he got his first sight of the superhero, wearing a red and blue costume that looked skintight, complete with mask. Spider-Man was swinging through the streets, shooting webbing from his wrists and using them to propel himself forwards. It was only then that Harry realised the flaw in his plan: he had no way of keeping up with Spider-Man. He had no broom, and he couldn't fly without one like Voldemort and Snape had.

Deciding to simply follow the webslinger for now, Harry Apparated to a rooftop overlooking the street. From there, he cast a Tracking Charm on Spider-Man. Now, he'd be able to monitor him, and Apparate to meet him when he stopped moving.

It was another two hours before the Tracking Charm indicated that Spider-Man had stopped, so Harry Apparated to follow the trail. He found himself on a rooftop, and immediately turned to face where his Tracking Charm was telling him the costumed superhero was. As Harry spun, he was hit by a ball of webbing, throwing him to the floor. Before he could draw his wand or gun, more webbing spat from the shadows, pinning both of his arms and his legs to the floor.

"Not bad," Harry remarked. "That's some impressive reflexes you've got, Spider-Man."

"Who are you?" Spider-Man demanded, and Harry saw him, clinging to the side of a water tower on the rooftop. His costume stood out, even in the darkness.

"My name is Harry Potter. I'm here on behalf of SHIELD." He said calmly. "Now, could you let me go? I'd rather not lie here like this, it's uncomfortable."

"SHIELD?" The webslinger asked, leaping down to stand over Harry. "Who're SHIELD?"

"The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division." Harry replied.

"What does this SHIELD want with little ol' me?" Spider-Man asked, in a voice mixed with equal parts sarcasm and curiosity.

"We're putting a team together." Harry said. "A team of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and we want you to join us."

"Why?" Spider-Man asked, breaking the webbing on Harry's hands and helping the wizard to his feet.

Harry chuckled. "Have you seen what you can do? You have superpowers, and they make you a potential asset to SHIELD, one we'd like to be able to rely upon."

Spider-Man looked over the edge of the roof, watching the traffic below. "My uncle, the man who raised me, died because of me. I'd just discovered my powers, and I ... it was just a little thing, really. I'd gone out to buy milk after having an argument with my uncle, but I was only a couple of cents short. I was pissed at the cashier, and so when a thief held him up and robbed the store, I stood by and let him. The man had a gun, sure, but I didn't even try. My uncle was out looking for me, and he came across the thief. Uncle Ben ... he proved he was a better man than anyone I've ever known. He knew the man had just committed a crime, and had a gun, and so he tried to stop the thief. The thief ... he shot my uncle. Uncle Ben bled out and died in front of me, because I didn't act."

"I'm sorry." Harry said, placing a hand reassuringly on the costumed hero's shoulder. "I know how it feels, to be responsible for the death of a father figure. My godfather threw himself into a fight, because I was stupid, and he died protecting me."

"Uncle Ben told me something important. He said that if you could do good things for other people, you had a moral obligation to do those things. I have great power, and I have great responsibilities." Spider-Man reached up and pulled his mask off, revealing a young man, barely out of his teens, with light brown hair loosely spiked up under the mask. "My name's Peter Parker."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Peter." Harry said, shaking his hand.

"Thanks." Peter said. "I've got a few other things to deal with, though, so I don't know if I can be part of your team. I've got to work two other jobs so my aunt and I can keep our house and pay the bills, and finish my schooling too."

"SHIELD will help you out with your financial system, if you need." Harry offered. "We'll get you a job for one of our associates, a well-paid job. You'll have to earn your pay, of course, but it'll allow you to finish your schooling, pay off your aunt's mortgage, and anything else you need to buy. I'd imagine those web-shooters are quite expensive to maintain."

"I make the webbing myself." Peter replied. "It just takes a few chemicals and the right treatment, but it's fairly cheap to make, considering how useful it is."

"You're good at science?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "That's good. It'll come in handy for when you begin your new job. You'll probably earn a promotion pretty quickly."

"What is this new job SHIELD's associates are offering me?" Peter asked.

"Stark Tower's just opened up, and I'm sure it could use some researchers. You'd be assigned to your own lab, where you'd have all the resources you need, and you'd be getting paid to make it for your own use. Tony Stark himself would likely be interested in your work, if you could create something that impressed him." Harry pulled out his wand, casting a Cleaning Charm to remove the last bits of webbing from his sleeves and shoes.

"You're seriously offering me a job working for Tony Stark?" Peter asked incredulously. The technological genius had publicly declared himself to be the superhero Iron Man a few years ago, and ever since then he'd been one of Peter's role models, of sorts.

Harry shrugged. "You're cool with it, right?"

Peter began to laugh. "I can't wait to tell Gwen about this!"

Harry frowned. "You can't tell people you're associated with SHIELD. We'll do some research, and if she proves trustworthy, we may approach her as well."

"I was actually just thinking about telling her I've got a job at Stark Tower." Peter confessed. "She's been working for Oscorp for a couple of years now, and she knows how jealous I am of her for the opportunity she's getting."

Harry froze. This was the perfect way in for SHIELD with Oscorp. While other companies had several SHIELD agents working undercover, Oscorp was one of the few SHIELD had no-one on the inside of. "What's your girlfriend's name again?"

"Gwen Stacey." Peter replied instantly, and then he hesitated. "Don't get her involved in crime-fighting, please. I promised her dad, on his deathbed, that I'd keep her away from danger."

"She knows you're Spider-Man?" Harry asked, just for confirmation.

"Yeah, she was the first person I told."

"Who else knows?" Harry asked. "Is there anyone who you'd rather didn't know your secret identity, who knows it?"

Peter looked miserable. "You're the fourth person to know my identity. Gwen, obviously, and her father found out just before he died. He was the Chief of Police for New York, actually, so I'd have been in trouble if he'd found out earlier."

"And the other?" Harry pushed gently.

"Dr Curt Connors. He was a friend of my father's, and I'd gone to him for help working out some of my father's research notes. He was a good man." Peter sighed, running his hands through his hair. "We finished my father's research, which was about taking traits from animals and giving them to humans. I think the spider that bit me was part of his research project." Peter looked reluctant to continue, but did after a nod from Harry. "He tested it on himself, using lizard DNA. It worked ... too well. At first it went as planned, and he gained the ability to re-grow limbs. His arm, which he lost in a war, grew back. Then he started changing, and he turned into a giant Lizard, but it still had all of his genius. It tried to corrupt the city, and turn everyone into Lizards like him. I managed to stop him, but Gwen's dad died."

"Is Dr Connors still a ..." Harry began to ask, but Peter cut him off.

"He's not a Lizard any more, if that's what you're asking." Peter answered, having predicted the question. "He was arrested, and is in a prison somewhere. I've never looked for him."

"Do you want me to wipe his memories of your secret identity?" Harry offered. "It's not a trick I like to do, but some secrets should remain secret."

"No." Peter said. "It's wrong, to violate people's minds like that. Besides, Dr Connors is trustworthy, he wouldn't tell anyone."

Harry nodded. "I agree, about wiping memories. It's one of the spells I've hated the most, because it's simply a violation."

"Thank you, Harry. This opportunity could change my life."

"Think of it as a reward for all the lives you've saved, Peter."

-.-End Chapter 4-.-

AN: So, Harry's met the first member of the Avengers, and it's not even one who's a member in the film! Spidey's based on the Amazing Spider-Man film, since Andrew Garfield made a much better Spidey than Tobey Maguire. Events of Amazing Spider-Man happened without change, there was just the construction of a new Stark Tower going on in the skyline as well. A fair bit of exposition here. The bit Peter says that Uncle Ben said, about moral obligations, is a quote from the film. Next up, Harry goes to the SHIELD New York office, and meets up with Darcy and Jane again. PS: Apologies to anyone from the Bronx who takes offense about me calling it the roughest part of NY, I've never been to America so I wouldn't know. My knowledge of American culture comes solely from what I've seen on TV.


	5. Chapter 5

Ok, once more unto the breach, dear readers! The thing that's been mentioned a few times in reviews of the last chapter is how Peter didn't react to Harry's mentions of magic. I'm just going to say that Marvel's version of New York is a wacky place, and plenty of other weird shit goes on around there. Iron Man, the Hulk, Spidey, the X-Men (who exist in this story, but are yet to appear) ... all of these set precedents for Spidey accepting Harry's statement about magic, and his ability to Apparate. Assume Harry explains off-screen how it's actual magic, not a mutation.

-.-Chapter 5-.-

"Hey, Darcy." Harry said, walking into her workstation a couple of days after having met Spider-Man for the first time.

"Harry!" She shrieked in surprise as she turned around, wrapping him in a hug. "You're here!"

Harry returned the hug happily, smiling as they let go. "So, how's work?"

"It's amazing!" Darcy said. "Jane's working on some project to create a new Einstein-Rosen bridge, to get into contact with Thor's people. You wouldn't believe the equipment we've got here, it's so much better than what we had in Puerto Antiguo!"

"What are you working on?" Harry asked, looking at her desktop. There were sheets of paper scattered everywhere, as well as crisp wrappers and empty bottles. An Apple Macbook was running, but she wasn't paying much attention to it. It looked a lot like a typical student's desk, actually, if you substituted the Macbook for a cheaper laptop.

"I'm actually just downloading some music at the moment." Darcy admitted. "Jane's the really science-y one, not me."

"Why were you working on her science research, then?" Harry asked, curious.

"Jane and I grew up as next-door neighbours. We went to the same school as children, and we went on to share a flat at uni. We've been together pretty much my whole life, and she's my best friend." Darcy answered. "When she said she was moving into some town in New Mexico to work with Dr Erik Selvig, a forerunner in astrophysics, I went with her. It seemed natural to me, she's basically my sister in every way that matters, except biologically. Or legally. But I was not about to let my sister run off on her own, so I went with her to be a research assistant."

Harry smiled. "I know how you feel. From the first day of my magical schooling, I had two best friends: Ron and Hermione. They became my brother and sister, in every way that was important to me. I'd never really known what a family was until I visited Ron's family over the summer. The Weasleys all-but adopted me, and I even dated their daughter for a while."

"Oh?" Darcy asked, raising an eyebrow. "You've not mentioned a girlfriend before, Harry."

"Ginny and I dated during my sixth year, her fifth. We broke up because Voldemort – a dark wizard who was trying to take over the world – was trying to kill me, and I wanted her to be safe." Harry said, frowning. He didn't particularly like remembering those times. "After I killed Voldemort, Ginny and I tried getting back together. We found we didn't work as a couple that well, but we stayed friends afterwards." Harry sighed, rubbing his temples. "What about you? What's your dating life been like?"

Darcy frowned. "Pretty shit, actually. I've slept with a few guys, of course, but I've never found a guy I really trust enough to get in a relationship with. It seems to me that the decent guys are normally either gay, married, or way too old for me."

Harry cocked his head. "So what, am I gay, or not a decent guy?"

Darcy blushed. "Present company excepted, of course." She smiled charmingly at him, before continuing. "So is your dating record just one girl, or do you have some secret lovers you're not telling me about?"

Harry shook his head. "I was cripplingly shy for my first few years of school, and when I started to come out of my shell some, the girl I wanted to date, Cho Chang, was already dating someone else. Cedric was a good guy, but I was so jealous of him at the time. He died at the end of my fourth year, and somehow I ended up briefly with Cho. We went on one date, which was a disaster, and then we hardly spoke to one another ever again. I went to one dance with Parvati, one of the girls in Hermione's dorm, and I was a terrible date to her. And I also went to one dance with Luna, one of my best friends, and was a bad date then as well."

"Whoa." Darcy said. "Sounds like your dating life was pretty terrible, then."

"Yeah, it really was." Harry agreed. "After Ginny and I stopped dating properly, we continued to pretend to date, purely because we were both famous now. Since I'd killed Voldemort, and Ginny played a pretty major part in that, we had everybody clamouring for our attention. I'd had to deal with various stalkers and gold-diggers approaching me when Ginny and I were properly dating, so I really didn't want to deal with them without the protection of a girlfriend." He sighed, and looked wistful for a moment, before snapping out of it and continuing to speak. "But, since I've told you my dating history, it's your turn now."

Darcy grimaced. "I've had a few one-night stands, usually random blokes I meet at the pub or in a club. There was one guy I've had a relationship with in the past, a guy called Sam Wilson. We were together for a year or so, but we didn't really have anything in common. I wanted to become an artist, and he wanted to join the Air Force, and become one of those crazy guys who jumps out of helicopters and planes. We split up, and I never saw him again. Three weeks later, my art teacher shot down my planned career, leaving me pretty much out of luck."

Harry didn't know what to say to that. Spending a year with someone, only to realise you're nothing alike, and then never seeing them again seemed tough. To have your career then fail as well was incredibly harsh. "Are you busy later?" Harry asked, on an impulse. "It seems we've both had our fair share of bad dates, so we could try and have a good one for once."

Darcy smiled. "Sure, I'd like that."

-.-.-

Harry spent the rest of the day working with Darcy on getting him up-to-date with the recent resurgence of superheroes. He'd heard about Iron Man, and met with Spider-Man, but he didn't know too much about the others. Captain America, a super-soldier from the Second World War, had recently been found frozen, and was getting himself ready to fight crime again. There was a scientist, Dr Bruce Banner, who'd been doing research to try and replicate the super-serum used on Captain America using Gamma Radiation. It had worked, in a way, and Dr Banner could turn into a ten-foot tall green rage monster when provoked. From what he'd read, it was unclear whether Banner was hostile or not, but from what Harry had read, he just wanted to be left alone. There was Thor, the God of Thunder Harry had missed out on meeting with, who was apparently the genuine article, but he didn't seem like the type to smite without reason. There were also rumours about other heroes, in particular a Tribal Leader called the Black Panther in the African country of Wakanda who had superhuman senses, speed and strength.

Harry had also found stories about there being other super-powered individuals, including a rumour about a man who could grow metal blades from his knuckles and survived getting hit by a truck, in a collision that should have killed him. Apparently he was in Canada, but SHIELD were staying clear of him. According to SHIELD records, he was the one to take Fury's eye. Supposedly he was immortal, and had fought in pretty much every conflict, including both World Wars and Vietnam. He'd been part of a team in the past, but the majority of the team were killed and he fled the country. He was a warrior SHIELD would love to have on their team, but he loathed Fury with a vengeance. The best he knew was that the immortal – codenamed 'the Wolverine' – wouldn't fight against SHIELD. He wouldn't fight for them, but he wasn't going to oppose them either.

-.-.-

At seven o'clock, Harry and Darcy stopped their work, and Harry led her out of the building, onto the streets of New York. Despite having arrived before him, Darcy hadn't yet taken the time to explore the city, so Harry suggested that would be a good starting point for a date.

The couple held hands as they walked along the streets, admiring the displays of the shop windows. Eventually, they stopped in a small coffee shop in Manhattan next to Central Park, where Harry ordered them a pair of cappuccinos from a friendly white-haired barista. As they sat together, Harry felt utterly content and at peace.

He should have known better.

The explosion outside took them both by complete surprise, and Harry immediately moved to shelter Darcy. The two ran outside, to see a bald man, wearing a set of high-tech steel-coloured armour and a harness, with two large wings keeping him afloat.

"You will all kneel before the Vulture!" The man proclaimed threateningly, raising the two machine-guns he held.

-.-End Chapter 5-.-

AN: We haven't had a proper action scene in this story yet, so there'll be one next chapter! Giving Darcy a bit of a background here, because I don't think we know much about her from the films. If you look at Fury's eye in the movies, there are three scars running parallel down his face, that look like they could have come from Wolverine, so that's canon for this story. A virtual cookie for whoever picks up on the cameos in this chapter. One's a character from Marvel, one's definitely not.


	6. Chapter 6

Well done to Le Diablo Blanc2 for finding one of the little references I included: Sam Wilson's identity. Thankts again to everyone who's read, reviewed, favourited, followed, shared, etc. You're all awesome (but not as awesome as I am!)

-.-Chapter 6-.-

Harry immediately drew his wand, and cast a quick and silent Notice-Me-Not Charm on both himself and Darcy. He took her hand again, and began to pull her away. Leading her into a side alley, he spoke to her. "Stay here, and stay hidden. I'll take care of this guy, and we can get back to our date." He quickly cast several protective charms, and a Tracking Charm, on her, before handing her his Invisibility Cloak. "Wear this, and you should be safe."

As he turned to leave, she took his face in her hands and kissed him. As Darcy let go, Harry blushed, before heading out of the alley, conjuring a full-face mask to wear. He didn't want his face plastered all over the news.

Casting a Sonorous on himself, Harry called out to the Vulture. "Surrender, Vulture. I don't want any trouble."

"Shouldn't have crawled out of your hole then!" The Vulture called back, aiming the machine-guns at him.

As the Vulture opened fire, Harry cast a quick Protego to block the bullets. They bounced off the shield, causing the Vulture to swear loudly, using his wings to glide higher as Harry threw a Stunner at him. Harry moved forward, into the middle of the street, throwing Shield Charms to protect the civilians from the Vulture's wild aim. Harry threw another pair of Stunners, forcing the Vulture to fly to the right to avoid them. As he did so, a line of webbing ripped one of the machine-guns from the Vulture's grip.

Spider-Man leapt down, landing on a car bonnet next to Harry. Spotting the wand in Harry's hand, he whispered, "Harry?" At the nod of response, he fired off another line of web at the Vulture, forcing him to move. "Who's this joker?"

Harry raised his voice so the Vulture could hear. "He calls himself the Vulture, but seems like a bit of a bird-brain to me!"

"No-one calls me a bird-brain!" The Vulture cried out, aiming his remaining machine-gun at the two heroes. Spider-Man leapt into the air, swinging on a line of webbing, while Harry dived aside, throwing several more Stunners at the criminal.

"Hey, Pigeon!" Spider-Man taunted, causing the Vulture to turn and open fire. Harry watched in awe as Spider-Man flipped and spun, dodging the spray of bullets impressively, while throwing webbing at the Vulture's wings, trying to clog them up and force him to land.

The Vulture swooped down, pulling a grenade from his belt and throwing it at Harry's feet. He threw himself to the side as it exploded, and his wand flew out of his hand. Spider-Man leapt down to the ground, grabbed Harry's wand from the floor, and threw it accurately to Harry, who caught it in mid-air, using the momentum to fire off another trio of Stunners.

-.-.-

The flashes of red light and the loud rat-tat-tat of the Vulture's machine-gun was a very noticeable sight, and one that quickly drew the attention of the authorities. Police cars began to drive in, covering both entrances to the street. And in a nearby tower, a billionaire listened to his artificial intelligence telling him about the fight between a hero, a masked man and a man who could fly in Manhattan. The billionaire's response to the news was to put on his suit, and take a step outside. He wanted to see who these people were, and the technology that the flying man was using.

-.-.-

Harry threw up another Shield Charm to contain the grenade the Vulture had thrown, as Spider-Man swung in close and punched the winged villain in the face, before kicking him in the chest and using him as a springboard to propel himself away. Between them, they were keeping the Vulture contained, but neither side could get an advantage. The Vulture was too fast for Harry to hit with spells from the ground, and Spider-Man's attacks simply didn't do enough damage to slow him. But the constant barrage from the two heroes was preventing the Vulture from escaping, and Harry's Shield Charms were protecting innocents from his bullets and grenades.

The turning point came quickly, as the speakers in all of the police cars were hijacked. The distinctive sounds of rock music began to play, and as the track "Back In Black" by AC/DC started, a man in red and gold armour flew from the sky, blasting the Vulture to the ground with his repulsors.

"Iron Man." The Vulture snarled, as he leapt into the air again, wings flapping to keep him aloft. The Vulture focused on his newest foe, so much so that he didn't see Harry's Stupefy hit him.

As the Vulture fell, unconscious, Harry cast Aresto Momentum to slow him, before wrapping him up in an Incarcerous. "Mr Stark, thanks for your help." He called out. "You too, Spidey."

The two heroes both landed, Spider-Man crouching on the roof of another car, and Iron Man standing brazenly in the middle of the street. Police began to approach, and Harry moved to stand over the Vulture, flipping out his SHIELD badge. "This one's ours, boys." He called out. "You can stand down."

"What's a SHIELD agent doing here, with powers?" Iron Man asked, flipping up his visor.

"I'll explain later, Mr Stark. Mind if I drop by Stark Tower tomorrow? It's just, I was on a date when this guy interrupted, and ..."

Tony Stark winked in understanding. "Say no more, I get it. Explanations can wait if there's a hot girl waiting for you. I'd better get back to the Tower myself, actually. Both of you, feel free to drop by anytime. It'd be cool to have other heroes to show off to."

Spider-Man nodded. "Thanks for the offer, Mr Stark."

Tony shook his head. "As long as you don't call me Mr Stark. If you're going to fight crime like I do, you can call me Tony."

"Thanks, Tony." Harry said. "Do you think you can take this guy with you, keep him prisoner until tomorrow? SHIELD would be very interested in the tech here, and I'd take him myself, but my date's waiting. And I'm sure none of us want to wait here for SHIELD agents to show up to take him."

"Sure, as long as I can have a crack at it too." He nodded. "It's not as advanced as I was hoping, but I might still get some good ideas from the design."

Tony picked up the Vulture in both arms, before taking off. Spider-Man and Harry watched, before Harry spoke again.

"Thanks for swinging by, Spidey. I can't fly, so your help really was useful in keeping him contained."

"No problem." Spider-Man replied. "It's nice to have help, for once. It seems, with you and Iron Man here, that we'll likely fight together quite a lot."

Harry chuckled. "That's true, mate. If you want to join me and Tony tomorrow, I can swing by your place and pick you up."

"Sure." Spider-Man said, smiling beneath his mask. "Do you need my address, or can you just find me wherever?"

Harry shrugged. "Let's meet on the same rooftop as last time. I can Apparate there, pick you up, and we can Apparate to Stark Tower."

"Okay." Spider-Man looked at the TV in the window of one of the shops. "Shit, I've gotta go, I'm running late! See you tomorrow, at eleven?"

"Works for me." Harry replied. "Have fun!" He shouted, as Spider-Man leapt into the air, firing off a line of webbing and swinging away.

-.-.-

Fortunately for Harry, Darcy was understanding when he explained that their date was over for the night. High-tech criminal attacks were a major buzzkill when it came to romance, after all.

He still walked her home, of course, and tried to make her laugh. On her doorstep he spoke.

"I'm sorry this turned out to be a terrible date."

Darcy looked at him quizzically. "I didn't think it was too bad, actually. Sure, you had to leave mid-way to fight crime, but you came back."

Harry shrugged. "Of course I did, why wouldn't I?"

"A lot of guys wouldn't have." Darcy replied. "And they definitely wouldn't have made an effort to salvage the date, as you did. Believe it or not, I actually had fun tonight."

Harry found himself leaning closer to her. "Really?"

"Really."

Darcy kissed him, then. He hesitated for a moment, surprised, before kissing her back, passionately. They kissed for an unknown amount of time, but it felt like only a few seconds of bliss to Harry, and they separated far too soon, in his opinion.

"You could come in for some coffee, if you wanted." Darcy offered.

Harry knew exactly what she wanted, and to be honest he wanted it too. He'd only been with Ginny before, so he hoped he didn't disappoint Darcy. She was one of his closest friends in this new world.

"I'd love to."

-.-End Chapter 6-.-

AN: I'm not really sure where Iron Man came from in this chapter, actually. I just really wanted to write a battle scene featuring Harry and Spidey fighting someone, as a hint of what's to come, and Iron Man just sort of flew in unexpectedly. Next chapter: Harry and Spidey go to Stark Tower, and have a chat with Tony.


	7. Chapter 7

I am so sorry to everyone for being a day late, it's my mate's fault. Really. He's just gotten back from upcountry and I spent most of the day yesterday catching up with him, instead of updating. I'll upload on time next week, I guarantee it!

So, I finally watched Thor: The Dark World! I missed it in the cinema, and only just had access to the DVD (living at Uni means I'd have to buy it myself, and if I did that it'd mean I couldn't spend that money on alcohol and food: the most important things to a Uni student!) It was a good film, but I found it funny that the Warriors Three are so unimportant that they can actually re-cast one of them, and hardly anyone noticed! Loki stole the show, as always. I won't be using the plot from it though, just like I won't be using the plot of Iron Man 3.

-.-Chapter 7-.-

Harry woke up in a very comfortable position: with an attractive woman's naked body wrapped around him. He smiled and placed a kiss on Darcy's head, before easing his way out of bed, pulling on his boxers, jeans and vest before heading into her kitchen. He began preparing breakfast, bacon and eggs on toast for both of them, flicking the kettle on as well. Surely enough, the delicious smell of sizzling bacon drew Darcy out of bed, wearing just Harry's shirt.

"Good morning." He said, kissing her briefly, before returning his attention to cooking. He grabbed two mugs, and placed a spoonful of coffee in each mug. "Milk and sugar?"

"Yes to both." Darcy said, leaning against the counter and watching him fussing in the kitchen. She could tell he enjoyed cooking a lot, from the grin he had across his face. Of course, that may have been mostly due to last night's activities, but Harry did enjoy cooking a lot. It was simple, and there wasn't a risk of death, unlike his other main hobby.

"Here you go." He slid her plate onto the table, placing her coffee next to it. He took his coffee and plate, sitting down next to her. They ate in silence, but it wasn't the awkward silence Darcy was familiar with from guys she'd slept with. It was a companionable silence, that of two people who connected and understood each other.

"Thank you." Darcy said, when they'd finished eating. "You didn't have to cook."

Harry smiled. "I like to cook. It was something I wanted to do."

"It was very sweet of you." She said, taking his hand in her own.

Harry stood up, and hugged her. "You deserve it."

When Darcy turned to wash up the plates, Harry took her hand and turned her again. "No need for that." He picked up his wand, and pointed it at the pans, casting a Scourgify to clean them up.

"That's quite useful, actually." Darcy said. "Probably the cleanest those pans have ever been."

Harry looked at the clock on the wall, and was surprised to see that it was nearly eleven already. "I've actually got to go, I've got a meeting with Tony Stark at eleven." He confessed.

Darcy nodded in understanding. "I'll see you later, at work?" She asked.

"I'll try to stop by." Harry nodded, as she headed into her bedroom again. She came back out a minute later, wearing a dressing gown, handing Harry his shirt. He cast a quick Scourgify to clean it, before pulling it back on. He then Apparated to the rooftop where he was meeting Spider-Man.

-.-.-

Tony Stark was bored. This was not a good thing. When Tony Stark got bored, he started to drink, and then things got destroyed. Indeed, the last time he'd drunk while bored, he'd ended up wearing just his Iron Man helmet in the middle of the Caesar's Palace casino, passed out on top of a poker table, and half of the statues in the building had been destroyed. The others he'd painted red-and-gold, and he'd woken up with Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan naked next to him.

Fortunately for New York, Tony had something to distract him from his boredom coming later in the day. The SHIELD agent/superhero was coming by later today, and wanted to talk about things, probably to do with the Avengers or the criminal they'd caught. The Vulture's tech was fairly impressive considering it wasn't his tech, but the Mark V – his least protective suit – was more resilient, and about the same weight. He didn't particularly like the wings, either, and wouldn't implement them on any of his suits. He didn't need wings to fly, when he had the repulsor jets on his suit.

Tony spun around in alarm when he heard a distinctive cracking sound. Hopefully that wasn't anything too expensive. He leapt into the air in shock when he saw Spider-Man and the masked man emerging from his kitchen.

"How did you get in here?" Tony demanded. "JARVIS, pull up the footage from the security cameras on this floor."

HehH"That's not going to help, Tony." Harry said, pulling off the balaclava. He'd put it on before Apparating, just in case any security cameras were covering the rooftop. "My name is Harry Potter, and I'm a representative of SHIELD."

"SHIELD? So you know Agent Coulson?" Tony asked.

"Yep. Phil's a decent guy, and he tells me you're a nightmare."

"Phil?" Tony shook his head. "His first name is Agent."

Harry laughed. "That's exactly the sort of person he described you as."

"So, a SHIELD agent and Spider-Man appear magically in Tony Stark's apartment. Sounds like the start of a joke." Tony said, walking over to the bar. "Drink?"

"I'll have a beer." Harry said, and Tony threw him a can. Harry opened it and took a swig.

"I'll have a beer too." Spider-Man said, and Tony placed another can on the bar.

"Web it." He said, and Spider-Man shot a line of webbing, whipping the can into his hand. "That was cool. So, what can I do for SHIELD?"

"Director Fury sent me here to New York."

"He's a right little ball of sunshine, isn't he?" Tony added rhetorically.

"He wanted me to talk to both of you about the Avengers Initiative." Harry continued. "Tony, you know about it already, but it's a project, to unite Earth's Mightiest Heroes, including all three of us."

"Last I checked, I didn't fit the criteria." Tony interjected.

"Fury still thinks you'll be an asset to the team." Harry replied. "The War Machine is willing to join the team as well, but he's currently taking part in clean-up in Afghanistan."

"Who else have you got?" Spider-Man asked.

"Fury's got a couple of SHIELD agents willing to join, Agents Barton and Romanoff. I believe you've met Romanoff, Tony." Tony nodded, remembering the highly-skilled operative who'd been his assistant for a few weeks as Fury's spy. "Captain America is willing to join the team as well."

"Captain America?!" Tony asked, stunned. "My dad used to go on and on about that guy. He's a legend, the first proper superhero."

"He was recently found in the Arctic, and SHIELD have been working on getting him back into shape." Harry confirmed. "Agent Coulson will be the Avengers' co-ordinator with SHIELD as a whole."

"What's the point of joining the Avengers?" Spider-Man asked.

"You can still fight crime on your own if you want, but I think we saw a clear benefit yesterday. Between the three of us, we took down the Vulture much faster than any of us would have on our own."

"Speak for yourself." Tony muttered.

"Deny it all you want, Tony, but you need help sometimes too." Harry replied. "I get that you're not big on the whole 'team player' thing, but what happens when a threat comes along that's too big for you to take on?"

"No such thing." Tony replied, pouring himself another glass of scotch.

"So you took down Vanko on your own?" Harry countered. "No other hero in a suit, no superspy helping you out? Face it, Tony, you'll need help at some point. All you've got to do is ask."

Tony downed the drink, shaking his head. "I doubt I'll need your help, but if I do, I'll ask. How exactly can I get in contact with you?"

"I'm staying at the SHIELD base in New York." Harry said. "I'm sure you know where it is already, and can hack into the communications there if you have to."

Spider-Man took his mask off. "My real name's Peter Parker. I actually took a job here the other day, Mr Stark."

"Son of a bitch." Tony said, surprised. "Welcome to the company, Peter."

"Thank you, Mr Stark." Peter said.

"Tony." He corrected. "Since we're going to be doing hero-type things together, you can call me by my first name."

"Tony, I'd like the chance to work on my equipment here. I can't exactly do maintenance or upgrades on my web-shooters in my aunt's house, or at my school's science labs."

Tony raised a single eyebrow. "You're still at school? Are you even eighteen yet?"

"I'm nineteen." Peter replied.

"Aren't you a little young to be a superhero?" Tony asked, trying not to laugh.

"I defeated the leader of a group of magical terrorists five times before I turned eighteen." Harry said casually. "It's not age that matters, it's ability and determination to do the right thing."

"Magical terrorists?" Tony asked, eyebrows raised. "Magic's not real."

"Didn't you see me in the fight yesterday, Tony?" Harry asked rhetorically. "I used magic a fair deal, actually."

"Magic's just science that we don't understand yet." Tony replied.

"Quote Arthur C Clarke all you want, but it doesn't change the truth. I am magical, and I can do things that defy the laws of physics." Harry said.

"Prove it." Tony challenged.

"Very well." Harry nodded. "Serpensortia." A snake burst from the tip of his wand, and Tony jumped back in shock.

"That's not possible."

"Neither is the Norse God of Thunder fighting against an Asgardian war machine in a small town in New Mexico, but it happened pretty recently." Harry pointed out. "It's also supposed to be impossible for someone to crawl up the side of a building using just his bare hands and feet, but one of the people in this room can do that."

Tony shrugged. "Fair enough."

Harry Vanished the snake, to Peter's relief. It seemed the young man didn't like reptiles, after his encounter with the Lizard.

"You'll need a hero name." Tony said. "If you pick one, I can get it trending on Twitter, and soon enough the press will start using it."

"I don't really want media attention." Harry said, a frown on his face. "I just want to help."

"When you're a hero, and you fight alongside the likes of us, you'll get a heroic name. I'm offering you the chance to choose it, before you end up with something lame like the Sorcerer or something." Tony wisely said. "That's how I really became called Iron Man, I got Jarvis to start it trending on Twitter, and then denied all knowledge of the name when Pepper asked me about it."

Harry rubbed his temples. "There is one name I wouldn't mind. My dad and his friends, when they were at school, became this group, and they were called the Marauders."

"No." Tony said. "Marauder is too ... villainous. People wouldn't believe that the Marauder was an ally of Iron Man, or Captain America. Try for something less sinister."

"Fine." Harry said. He thought for about a minute, before coming up with the solution. "How about Merlin?"

Tony thought about it, before nodding. "It suits the whole 'magic' thing, and if you can get the right sort of costume, it'll look the part."

"Is the Vulture still here?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

"No." Tony replied. "I've got all of his equipment here, I stripped him of it and deposited him on the front door of the NYPD, bound and gagged. I even left an amusing note."

"Insulting?" Peter asked.

"More witty, actually. There were puns about how this bird was going to flee the roost, and how they were going to discover why the caged bird sings."

"Nice." Peter said, nodding in approval.

"Back to the topic," Harry interjected. "Is the Vulture's equipment still here? I reported in to Fury over the phone last night, and he wants the suit."

Tony scoffed. "He can have it. It's not bad, but it's nowhere near anything I could make."

"In that case, I'd better go." Harry said. "Fury was annoyed enough that I was leaving the suit with you overnight, I don't really know why he wants it but he really doesn't want you playing with it. I guess I'll deny everything if he asks if you looked at it."

Harry picked up the duffel bag, bearing the logo of Stark Industries, and nodded his thanks to both of them. "I'll drop by in a week or so, probably." Harry said.

"Sure, just come in through the doors instead of randomly appearing next time." Tony joked.

Harry smiled, and Disapparated.

-.-End Chapter 7-.-

AN: So, that's another chapter down. It very nearly ended up being a bitch-fight between Tony and Peter, but I managed to tone that down. Some of the dialogue is based on stuff said in the movies (the whole "Phil? His first name is Agent" comes from Avengers, and the quote from Arthur C Clarke was also quoted by Jane in Thor). Harry's superhero name is decided, and Merlin will be joining Spider-Man and Iron Man. Marauder was actually going to be my first choice, but then I realised, as Tony points out, that it doesn't sound very heroic. Marauder, to a regular New Yorker, would probably make them think of pirates or criminals. In the next chapter: A SHIELD research facility is destroyed! The first major bad guy rears his head!


	8. Chapter 8

So, I've now seen Captain America: The Winter Soldier! And let me say, it's absolutely amazing! All of the returning actors (Cap, Widow, Hill, Fury) were fantastic, and the Falcon was just brilliant! With the game-changing event that happened (being vague so those of you who haven't seen it don't kill me for posting spoilers), I can't wait to see how it affects the other Marvel products (particularly Agents of SHIELD). The teaser at the end, introducing two new heroes and a new villain, was also very nice. My favourite little details though, were the Pulp Fiction reference that popped up near the end of the movie, and the mention of Steven Strange. And Stan Lee's cameo was one of his best, of course. But again, I don't know if much of the plot of it will make it into this story. And, big question, where the hell was Hawkeye? He's a SHIELD agent, he should be at least mentioned, even if it was to say "he's on assignment, deep cover, in Afghanistan" or something.

-.-Chapter 8-.-

About five months after his meeting with Tony and Peter, Harry's life had begun to settle into a routine. He was basically living with Darcy, the two having decided that they were getting along well enough to be comfortable with sharing a flat. Jane lived in the flat across the hall from them, and often was lured over by Harry's excellent cooking skills. He'd get up early, go for a run, and come back to make breakfast for himself, Darcy and sometimes Jane as well. Then, he'd walk the two of them to work, before either doing various forms of research, or meeting up with Tony and Peter. The three were becoming close friends, with Tony and Peter having bonded over a love of science. The two were working on a suit they'd dubbed the "Iron Spider", a fusion of Tony's Iron Man suit and Peter's regular costume, with both web-shooters and repulsors to enhance the suit's mobility even more. Harry was also beginning to develop a new interest in science, and was working on discovering the scientific properties of the Cloak of Invisibility, so that they could replicate it to add a stealth function to the various suits Tony had designed. At around five, he'd head home and have dinner with Darcy. Peter and Gwen had come over about once a week, with Peter introducing Harry as a British cousin to his girlfriend. Even Tony had come over for dinner once, with his girlfriend/assistant Pepper and his bodyguard Happy. Every third night, he'd go out on patrol, wearing a set of hooded robes and Apparating from rooftop to rooftop, establishing his heroic identity as Merlin. On the other nights, either Tony or Peter would be out on patrol.

Of course, just as Harry was becoming used to a normal life, events began to take place that would ruin that. A SHIELD research facility was destroyed, and various SHIELD personnel, including Agent Clint Barton and Erik Selvig, had their free will taken away by the Asgardian god Loki, who had stolen the Tesseract, an alien power source.

Harry received an unexpected visit from Coulson the next day, as he was serving up breakfast for Darcy, Jane and himself. As soon as he opened the door and saw the stressed-out agent, he led him inside, sat him down at the table, and slid an omelette in front of him.

"What's happened?" Harry asked, cutting right to the heart of the matter.

"Last night, SHIELD was attacked. Agent Barton and Dr Selvig were both compromised." Darcy and Jane both gasped in shock.

"Compromised?" Harry asked. "Are they still alive?"

"As far as we know, yes." Coulson said. "It was one of SHIELD's bigger projects, to use a new, clean energy source, called the Tesseract. Unfortunately, a hostile force attacked the research facility last night. Agent Barton and Dr Selvig, as well as several other agents, were hit by some form of spell from the hostile, which allowed him to control them."

"Were there any signs of visible control?" Harry asked urgently.

"According to Director Fury, their veins glowed blue when the hostile tapped their chests with his sceptre. Their eyes changed, to become a blue colour matching the gem on the hostile's sceptre." Coulson reported.

Harry shook his head. "I've never encountered this method of control, so I don't know how to break it. I could try a few things, but there's no guarantee that they'll work. This Agent Barton, is he the one on the Avengers list?"

"Yes." Coulson confirmed. "This is all confidential material, Miss Lewis, Miss Foster. It needs to remain classified."

"Understood." Darcy threw up a mock salute. Jane sighed, before nodding as well.

"Do you have any leads on who this hostile is?" Harry asked.

Coulson sighed. "His outfit was similar to that of our visitors from New Mexico, and he identified himself as Loki of Asgard."

"No." Jane said defensively. "Loki may be Thor's brother, but Asgard can't be the one behind this."

"I agree." Coulson replied. "But with Dr Selvig being taken, it puts the three of you at risk. All of you have a strong connection to Thor, and are possible targets. If Loki is one of Thor's enemies, he'd be likely to target those who associated with Thor. And if he got wind of you, Harry, you'd be under threat, since you appeared at the same time as Thor."

"What's Fury's reaction?" Harry asked.

"He wants to re-assign Miss Lewis and Miss Foster to a research facility in Norway. It's off-the-grid, a safer place for you to be. If this visitor is trying to attack Thor via you, keeping you safe is important."

"And Harry?" Darcy asked. "You're not separating us, are you?"

Coulson sighed, rubbing his temples. "Director Fury is planning to activate the Avengers Initiative."

"That bad?" Harry asked, eyebrows raised.

"He appeared in the middle of the room, killed a dozen agents, took over half a dozen more, including Barton, and nearly killed the Director, before destroying a research facility." Coulson summarised. "It's that bad."

Harry sighed, standing up. "I'm guessing you're going over to Stark Tower next. Do you want me to pick up Spider-Man?"

Coulson shook his head. "One of our agents recently located another individual with superpowers. The Director would go himself, but they have history. It's better if someone who has the powers to face him if he reacts badly speaks to him."

"You got his name and location?" Harry asked.

Coulson handed Harry a slip of paper. "That's the co-ordinates. The man you're looking for is called Logan, codenamed Wolverine. Once you've spoken with him, go to the second set of co-ordinates."

-.-.-

"I'm looking for a man called Logan." Harry said, placing a twenty-dollar note on the table of the bar. The barman looked at him curiously, before shrugging, taking the money, and pointing at a man further along the bar. Harry nodded in thanks, before walking over to the man and sitting down on the stool next to him.

Logan's hair and beard were wildly-styled, and combined with the leather biker's jacket and lumberjack shirt, gave the impression that he didn't care about how he looked. He was smoking a cigar, holding it in one hand, while he had a beer in his other hand.

"Logan. I'm Agent Potter, here on behalf of SHIELD." Harry began, but Logan interrupted him.

"One of Fury's lapdogs? Go fuck yourself." The man growled, and Harry sighed. Apparently, the Wolverine still held a grudge against Fury. One of these days, Harry was going to find out exactly what happened between them.

"His next one's on me." Harry said to the barman, throwing down another twenty-dollar note, before turning and walking out of the bar.

"What was the drink about?" A gravelly voice called out, and Harry spun around to see Logan had followed him out, and was staring at him curiously. Just as he'd expected.

"A threat is coming, Logan. Your name is on a list of superhumans, who can fight this threat."

"I don't play well with others, bub." Logan replied. "I was on a team once, and almost all of them were killed."

Harry nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago, kid." Logan took a puff of the cigar, blowing out the smoke. "Shit happened, I've dealt with it."

"If you change your mind, head to Stark Tower in New York." Harry offered.

"I doubt I will." Logan snarled, but there was no real hostility in his voice.

"It's just something to think about." Harry said, and Logan nodded in understanding, before walking back into the bar. Harry Apparated away, as Logan ordered another drink.

A teenaged young woman, with a similar facial structure to Logan, smiled as he sat down next to her at the bar. "Are you going to do it, Dad?" She asked, a note of concern in her voice.

"Doubt it." He snorted, puffing on the cigar again. "Idealistic moron."

"He was cute though." The girl said casually.

"Not good enough for you." Logan said, wrapping an arm around her.

She laughed, but hugged him back. "If it was down to you, no boy would be good enough for me. It's not like I couldn't beat him up if he annoyed me, either."

Logan smiled, letting go of his daughter. "Do you want me to help these guys?"

"What would Jean want you to do, Dad?"

Both of them fell silent, remembering the only woman Logan ever truly loved, even though they were never actually together.

"Fuck." Logan said after a minute. "I've got to go, don't I Laura?"

"Not alone." Laura replied. "I want to come with you to New York. I'm ready to do something good, not just keep travelling."

"Fine." Logan agreed. "We'll go at the end of the week, when I get paid."

-.-End Chapter 8-.-

AN: Yep, that's the appearance from everyone's favourite X-Man that I've been hinting at in-story. This is post-Last Stand, so Logan's pretty much alone. Storm, Iceman, Shadowcat, Colossus and Beast (the other survivors) are still alive, running the Xavier Institute, but probably won't appear in this story. If they do, it won't be for a while. Not sure if Logan's acting OOC, but I'm sure people can guess who his 'daughter' Laura is. I'm basing his interaction with her on how he is with Rogue in the films. The events of the Avengers movie have begun, but how will Loki's plans change with the bigger roster of heroes?


	9. Chapter 9

Seems to be that I'm watching a new Marvel film each week ... This week it was Amazing Spider-Man 2, and I must say, it was amazing! Jamie Foxx was brilliant as Electro, Harry Osborn was great, and Garfield's Spiderman just gets better and better! I don't know why the post-credits scene was from X-Men Days of Future Past, but the fact that it was there is also a good sign for fans of the Marvel films. It means that the studios are getting more willing to share characters, which could mean sometime soon that we'll see Spidey, Wolverine and the Avengers on-screen together!

-.-Chapter 9-.-

Harry Apparated onto the deck of a large aircraft carrier, and immediately began to look around for a familiar face. He spotted a red-haired woman, talking to a man in a worn-looking suit and a taller man wearing casual, if somewhat old-fashioned, clothing. He recognised all three of them from the files Fury had given him about the other possible members of the Avengers Initiative: the woman was the infamous assassin Natasha Romanoff, the shabby-looking man was the scientist Dr Bruce Banner, and the blond soldier was Captain Steve Rogers.

Harry approached them, and overheard Natasha issue a warning. "Gentlemen, you might want to step inside in a minute. It's going to get a little hard to breathe."

"What do you mean?" He called out, causing the three to all turn and face him. "Hi, I'm Harry Potter."

He noticed how Natasha's hand was wrapped around the handle of the pistol on her hip, but when he introduced himself she released it. "Mr Potter, you might want to step inside as well."

"What's going to happen?" He asked, but before Natasha could answer, the carrier began to shake and move.

"Please tell me this isn't a submarine." Dr Banner remarked, walking over to the edge. "Putting me in a submerged, pressurized metal container really would be a mistake."

The carrier began to take off, and all three men stood, staring at the giant rotors that had risen from the ocean. As it began to fly, Dr Banner shook his head. "Oh, this is much worse!"

"Welcome to the Helicarrier, gentlemen." Natasha said, gesturing for them to go inside.

-.-.-

The Helicarrier was a truly impressive feat of construction, in Harry's eyes. It was enormous, with just about every facility an army would need. There was a wide array of weapons stored in the ship's three armouries, including both conventional firearms and more individualistic weaponry. There were science labs, workout rooms, a sparring room, research labs ... everything that SHIELD might need.

Natasha was leading them through the Helicarrier to the bridge, stopping at various points to show the three men various places of interest on the ship. Once they reached the bridge, Harry immediately took a seat at the table in the middle of the room. Bruce sat down next to him, with Natasha standing behind him, while Steve walked over to Nick Fury, who was standing at the bridge, examining the two holographic screens while overseeing the SHIELD agents working on the ship. Steve pulled a ten-dollar note from his pocket, and handed it to Fury.

"Gentlemen." Fury began, walking away from the deck. "Thank you for coming, Dr Banner."

Bruce stood and shook Fury's hand. "Thank you for asking politely, Director. I just hope I don't need to stay too long."

"As soon as the Tesseract is found, we'll return you to Calcutta." Fury promised.

Bruce nodded his thanks. "What progress have you made so far in tracking it?"

Coulson, who had gone unnoticed thus far, spoke up from where he was working, at a technician's desk. "We've got facial recognition running through every device that has a camera. When Loki – or any of the men he's known to be controlling – surface, we'll be able to track them."

"That's not going to be fast enough." Natasha said. "Keep an eye on all police reports. Look for killings where the murder weapon is a compound bow."

"Why a bow?" Harry asked.

"It's Clint's – Agent Barton's – preferred weapon." Natasha explained.

Harry nodded in understanding. "If Loki's methods of control are similar to the ones that exist back at home, he'll be relying on their natural skills. If Agent Barton is more skilled with a bow, it would make sense for Loki to have him use one."

"Bows are pretty distinctive weapons, though." Coulson interjected. "For an assassination, it would be more logical to use a gun or a knife. They're more commonplace, and they don't give away exactly who the killer was."

"Good point, both of you." Fury remarked. "Hill, have someone monitor for any archery-based killings."

Maria Hill – Fury's second-in-command – nodded. "I'll get right on it, sir."

"What are you doing to track the Tesseract?" Bruce asked, drumming his fingers on the table nervously.

"It emits low levels of gamma radiation." Fury said. "You're the expert there."

Bruce thought for a minute. "How many spectrometers do you have access to?"

"How many are there?" Coulson asked.

"Call every lab you know of, and tell them to put their spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for gamma rays." Bruce suggested. "I should be able to work out a tracking algorithm based on cluster recognition. We should be able to rule out a few places that way."

Harry leaned back in his chair. "You know, I didn't understand a word of that. I guess I'm not going to win a prize for 'Most Science-y Person' while you're around, am I?"

Bruce chuckled. "Not when you make up words, that's for sure." He turned to Fury. "Do you have somewhere I can work?"

Fury nodded once. "Agent Romanoff will show you to your laboratory."

Natasha gestured to Bruce to follow, and began to walk down one of the corridors. "You're gonna love it, Doc." Harry heard her say. "We've got all the toys."

-.-.-

Loki looked at his pawns. He'd managed to control some very strong-willed individuals, particularly the assassin archer – Barton. The scientist Selvig was remarkably smart, for a weak human. What was concerning him was some of the things he'd seen in their minds. Barton had told him all about the so-called heroes SHIELD was observing, but they didn't bother him overly. What concerned him more, was what he'd seen in Selvig's mind.

A true sorcerer was walking Midgard. He seemed to be just another human – going by the pitiful name of Harry – but Loki had seen his powers in Selvig's brain. Invisibility was one of the most interesting powers he'd seen. Controlling him as he controlled Selvig or Barton would be beneficial, certainly, but sorcerers tended to be immune to the methods he used to control others. He would need more minions on this side, to use before he could summon the Chitauri.

"Barton." Loki called out. The archer walked forward, kneeling before Loki as he should when faced with a superior race. "SHIELD has enemies, does it not?" Barton nodded, but did not speak. "Send men to unite them."

"It will be done." Barton said in a monotone.

"You are dismissed." Loki said, waving a hand. Barton stood and walked away, but stayed in the room. "Selvig." Loki summoned the scientist next. "What do you need for the portal?"

"Iridium." Selvig replied, also speaking in a monotone.

"Barton!" Loki called. The assassin turned again. "Obtain iridium for the portal."

"There is a stockpile in Stuttgart." Barton suggested. "I will need a distraction, and an eyeball."

Loki smiled wickedly. "To Stuttgart, then."

-.-.-

Harry stood up, walking to stand next to Coulson. He spoke quietly to the agent, but he didn;t have a single doubt that Fury was listening as well, even though he appeared to be deep in conversation with Steve. "How did things go in New York?"

"I spoke with Stark." Coulson said. "He said he'd head over once he'd sorted out everything with Spider-Man. The two of them are planning to use one of his private jets to fly to the Helicarrier."

"Tony knows where it is?" Harry asked.

Coulson sighed in a long-suffering manner. "I don't doubt that Mr Stark knows exactly where the Helicarrier is. He's probably going to hack our systems at his earliest opportunity, but there's nothing we can do to keep him out. His father wrote the code for the system, and I wouldn't be surprised if he has a copy of the coding."

"Did you get Darcy and Jane out of New York?" Harry asked.

"Yes. They've been moved to the research facility I told you about."

Harry let out a relieved sigh. "I'm glad she's safe."

"We've got a hit!" One of the SHIELD agents called out. "67% match. Wait, 83%." Harry, Coulson, Steve and Fury all crowded around the agent's terminal.

"Where is he?" Fury asked.

"Stuttgart, Germany." The agent confirmed.

"How long will it take to get to Stuttgart?" Steve asked.

"An hour." Coulson said.

"Why Stuttgart?" Harry asked. "Loki doesn't seem the type to just go out for a walk. There's something there he wants."

"Let's not let him get it, then." Fury said. "Coulson, Rogers, Potter, take Romanoff and one of the Quinjets and get to Stuttgart. When Stark arrives, I'll send him to reinforce you."

-.-End Chapter 9-.-

AN: So, the Avengers is starting to kick off now. Loki's mind control is working differently here, so Barton and Selvig are more robot-like than they were in the film, conversation-wise. They'll still be brilliant in their respective fields, though. Also, Loki seems awfully worried about the presence of a "true sorcerer". Some dialogue here is either taken from or paraphrased from the Avengers movie. This is going to happen again throughout the next few chapters, as I cover the Avengers storyline. Next chapter: Showdown in Stuttgart!


	10. Chapter 10

So yeah, I've been thinking about why Hawkeye doesn't make an appearance in the Winter Soldier, and I've come to a conclusion. We've already seen in Thor: the Dark World, that Selvig's been driven insane by the after-effects of Loki's control. And Hawkeye was under his control for almost as long as Selvig was, so it's only logical to assume that Hawkeye should be crazy. I doubt this is what they'll do with the character, but it fits in with what we know of Loki's mind control and Hawkeye's non-appearance in the Winter Soldier.

-.-Chapter 10-.-

Loki strode out of the gala, the illusion of a human suit shimmering away to reveal that he was wearing his Asgardian battle robes. His sceptre grew to full size, and his impressive horned helmet glinted in the light. Around him, terrified Germans were running scared. He chuckled quietly as they fled onto the plaza. Loki flickered, and illusions of himself appeared, corralling the humans like the cattle they were. He'd already used the scanning device to take a man's eyeball, allowing Barton to steal the required iridium. Now he just had to keep whoever SHIELD would send busy while waiting for Barton to clear the area.

In the meantime, he could have some fun tormenting the humans.

"Kneel before me." Loki yelled, using his gift of tongues to translate his words into German. "KNEEL!"

The people obeyed him, scared beyond measure. He felt proud of himself, for showing a lesser race what they should worship. Striding through the crowd, he spoke to them. "Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel."

He heard movement to his left, and turned to see an old man, with a hunched back, struggle to his feet and face Loki. Asgardian and human made eye contact, before the old man shook his head. "Not to men like you."

Loki smiled threateningly. "There are no men like me."

The old man shook his head again, spitting at the ground. "There are always men like you."

"Look to your elder, people." Loki said, raising his sceptre, aiming it at the stubborn old man. "Let him be an example." Loki blasted with his sceptre, but before the bolt of energy reached the old man, there was a loud crack, and two more men stood before him. One of them drew a wand from within his robes, while the other caught the bolt on his shield.

"You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everyone else, we ended up disagreeing." Captain America said, striding forward. The crowd began to scatter away from the three costumed men.

"The soldier." Loki sneered. "The man out of time." He then turned to face the robed and hooded man, who must be the one they called Merlin. "And the sorcerer. The lost man, torn from his world."

Merlin raised his wand. "I'm giving you one chance, Loki. Stand down."

"I think not." Loki replied.

The Quinjet flew into view above them, its guns locked onto Loki. From over the PA, Coulson's voice emerged. "Loki, drop the weapon and stand down."

Loki's face twisted in rage. "Kneel!" He yelled, blasting Merlin with his sceptre. As the sorcerer was thrown backwards, the Asgardian raced forwards, swiping with his sceptre at Captain America. The hero blocked his strike with his shield, before dropping and sweeping with his foot, tripping the Asgardian.

-.-.-

Harry pushed himself to his feet, noting immediately how he'd been blasted quite far away from the fight. He raised his wand, firing off a quick duo of Stunning Spells. Loki sensed them coming, kicking the Captain back and spinning his staff to intercept the spells. Loki then blasted another bolt of energy at Harry, but he threw up a quick Protego to deflect it.

Captain America threw his shield at Loki, and it was clear the Asgardian hadn't expected that. As the vibranium shield caught Loki in the chest, the Captain was already moving, slamming his fist into Loki's face. His second swing hit Loki in the gut, before he used his sceptre to force the Captain back. Harry levitated the shield, using his magic to banish it into Loki's back. The Asgardian was knocked down once more, and Harry took the chance to hit him with a Stunner. To Harry's shock, Loki simply smiled as the red spell washed over him, not affecting him at all. Harry swore, and immediately began to think of more damaging spells to use.

He threw a Blasting Curse first, and was irritated when Loki batted it away with his staff. The Captain charged again, having rolled to pick up his shield. As Captain America bashed Loki in the face, staggering the Asgardian, Harry hit their foe with an Incarcerous, temporarily binding him. Loki quickly drew a thin throwing knife from a concealed sheath in one of his bracers, using it to slice through the bindings, before launching the knife at Harry. Harry easily deflected it, but it bought Loki time to grab his staff.

"Loki's tougher than I expected." Natasha remarked through her headset, watching from the cockpit of the Quinjet. Coulson sat in the co-pilot's seat, making sure that the chain-gun was tracking Loki's movements. "What the –" She exclaimed, as the words 'System Compromised' flashed up on her screen. As the sound system was remotely controlled, and began to blare out AC/DC, she knew exactly who had hacked their system. He'd arrived faster than she'd expected he would.

"Agent Romanoff." Sure enough, Tony Stark's voice spoke through their headsets. "Did you miss me?"

Iron Man flew in, blasting Loki in the chest with both of his repulsors. As Loki flew back, Harry summoned his staff, grimacing as he caught it. Iron Man raised both hands, aiming his repulsors, the wrist-mounted missile launcher and the smaller missiles on his shoulders at Loki. "Make your move, Reindeer Games." Iron Man called out. As Loki raised his hands in surrender, his armour shimmering and changing into more regular Asgardian robes, Iron Man lowered his repulsors. "Good move."

-.-.-

Harry sat opposite a handcuffed Loki in the back of the Quinjet. Loki's staff had been secured in a crate, and Steve was sitting on that crate. Tony was in the cockpit, talking with Natasha and Coulson. Tony turned and walked out of the cockpit, having irritated their pilots enough.

"I don't like this." Harry said.

"What, Rock of Ages giving up so easily?" Tony asked.

"I don't remember it being that easy." Steve remarked.

"Exactly." Harry said. "We took him down too easily, considering what Thor did in New Mexico."

"You were pretty spry, for an older fellow." Tony said to Steve. "What's your thing, pilates?"

"What?" Steve asked, confused by the change in conversation.

"It's like calisthenics. You might have missed a few things while you were doing time as a Capsicle." Tony said dryly. Harry struggled to contain a snicker at that comment, but Steve looked annoyed.

The loud crash of thunder shook them all, and Harry noticed how nervous Loki looked that they were flying through a storm. Tony noticed it too, and taunted Loki. "What's the matter, afraid of a little lightning?"

"I'm not overly fond of what follows." Loki replied. A thud from the roof made Harry look up, and Loki looked even more nervous. A quick pulse of electricity shot through the ship, and the ramp began to open. Harry moved immediately, grabbing Loki and pulling him away from the open ramp, as another Asgardian landed.

This Asgardian, Harry recognised. He'd never seen the man before, but the blond-haired, bearded Asgardian, wielding a mighty battle-hammer, couldn't be anyone but Thor. Harry positioned himself between Thor and Loki, but before Thor did anything, Coulson spoke from the doorway to the cockpit. "Thor?"

Thor looked up, noting the faces of the other people on the Quinjet. Steve had already picked up his shield, and Tony had put his helmet back on. Harry had drawn his wand, and Coulson had his pistol in one hand.

"Son of Coul." Thor inclined his head respectfully, recognising the agent he'd met in New Mexico. "Give Loki to me, and he will face Asgardian justice for his crimes."

"We need him to find the Tesseract." Coulson replied. "He's also controlling several of our men. Once we've got the Tesseract and our men back, you can take him."

"Thor." Harry said coldly. "Do you remember me?"

Thor looked at him, and shook his head. "I do not. Should I?"

"I came through the same portal as you to Earth." Loki raised an eyebrow at that revelation, and Thor looked stunned.

"Then we must talk, friend." Thor said. "I will accompany you for now."

-.-End Chapter 10-.-

AN: This seemed like a natural place to end the chapter. All of the Avengers are now on Earth, and Loki is in SHIELD custody. Because Coulson came with them to Stuttgart, Thor recognised him when he boarded the Quinjet, and didn't kidnap Loki, meaning there was no need for a fight between Thor and the others. Personally, I just reckon that was so they had some more awesome action shots to throw in the trailers. Plus, it means that they don't all leave Loki unguarded and actually have him stay there instead of, you know, escaping. In the next chapter, Thor and Harry have a chat.


	11. Chapter 11

I completely forgot it was Saturday until like 11 pm, my bad! I was reading another fanfic work, and I just said aloud: "Shame this story hasn't been updated in 3 years," before realising I hadn't updated this one yet!

-.-Chapter 11-.-

When they disembarked from the Quinjet, Steve, Coulson and a dozen SHIELD agents escorted Loki to a chamber designed specifically to contain the Hulk. Harry watched with the others, including Peter and Bruce, who had been working together to track the Tesseract, through the security camera as Fury tried to intimidate Loki, an act Harry felt was foolish. If Loki wasn't threatened by Thor, Harry, Steve and Tony, he wouldn't be threatened by Fury. Loki's taunt about "lost creatures" seemed to speak to Harry in particular, and Bruce looked irritated at the comparison to a mindless beast.

"Thor, what's Loki's play?" Steve asked.

"He has an army, called the Chitauri." Thor said. "None of Asgard know of them. He means to lead them against your planet, and they will win him the Earth. I suspect they will receive the Tesseract in return."

"So, he's got an army. Why aren't they here?" Harry asked.

"The portal that brought Loki here wasn't big enough for them, I'd guess." Bruce said, leafing through a report of the incident. "That'll be why he needs Selvig."

"Selvig?" Thor asked, and Harry saw the concern on his face. "He's a friend."

"Loki's controlling him. As well as one of ours." Natasha muttered the last part.

"I want to know why Loki let us take him." Steve said, resting his hands on the table. "He's not going to lead an army from his cell."

"I'm not sure we should be so concerned about Loki. The guy's brain is a bag full of cats; you could smell the crazy on him." Bruce said dryly.

"Have care how you speak." Thor warned. "Loki is beyond reason, but he is still of Asgard, and he is my brother."

"He killed eighty people in two days." Natasha replied coldly.

Thor looked sheepish. "He's adopted."

"Shit." Harry spun to see Agent Hill looking angrily at one of the computer screens. "When Loki appeared in Stuttgart, we missed something. One of the men Loki killed had his eyeball ripped out, and he was a SHIELD agent."

"An agent?" Harry asked. "What was his assignment?"

"He was one of the guards for a SHIELD containment unit in the area. The security there relies on retinal identification." Hill explained. "We can't get in contact with any of the other agents working there."

Harry nodded, seeing where she was going. "So you think that while Loki was terrorising people, he had Barton and the other agents he was controlling attack this base. What was being kept there?"

Hill read through the list, and all of them could see how worried she was getting. "In recent years, HYDRA has been making a re-appearance."

"I thought HYDRA was destroyed, after I went into the ice?" Steve asked. Harry hadn't even noticed him coming in.

"Their numbers were almost wiped out, but the organisation always survived. It's been making a comeback since Mr Stark revealed himself to be the Iron Man, and rumour has it they have a new leader." Hill explained. "And they aren't the only ones who were held there."

"Who else?" Harry asked.

"Various criminals that have been captured over the years, including some that have been faced by some of you." Fury stated from the doorway. "Blonsky, Hammer, Toomes."

Harry noticed how Bruce's face paled at the mention of Blonsky, and Tony scoffed at Hammer's name, but none of them responded to the name Toomes. "Who's Toomes?" He asked, since no-one else did.

"Adrian Toomes. AKA the Vulture." Fury replied.

"Ah, him. I thought the NYPD took him?"

"We had him moved after he nearly escaped for the second time." Hill said.

" I'm assuming his suit wasn't stored there?" Harry asked.

Fury nodded. "Toomes' suit has been requisitioned by one of our agents. Without it, he's just another criminal."

"Is there anything else that was being stored there, or is it just a prison?" Peter asked.

"Yes. A stockpile of iridium was being stored in Luxembourg, and it was being stored there temporarily." Hill read from the screen.

"Iridium ... What could iridium be used for?" Bruce wondered.

"It's a stabilising agent." Tony said, walking around the table. "Means the portal won't collapse, like it did last time. Loki would be able to keep the portal running for as long as he wanted."

"That could be a problem." Steve said.

Tony ignored Steve's comment, striding over to Fury's spot and barking out orders. "Raise the mizzenmast! Jib the topsail!" As the others all looked at him strangely, he pointed to one of the agents. "That man is playing Galaga! He thought we wouldn't notice, but we did." As the others turned to look, Harry noticed Tony stick something to the underside of one of the consoles. The hacking had begun, apparently. Tony then looked at the screens, covering his left eye with his hands. "How does Fury see these consoles?" He gestured to the ones on his left side.

"I turn." Fury responded gruffly.

"That sounds exhausting." Tony replied, before returning to the topic of iridium. "The rest of the raw materials to stabilise the portal, his men can get their hands on easily. The only other main component he'd need would be a power source. A high energy density, something to kick-start the cube."

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" Coulson asked.

"Last night." He replied. "The packet, Selvig's notes, the Extraction Theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?"

Peter raised his hand. "I did."

"Does Loki need any particular power source?" Steve asked.

"He'd need to heat the cube to at least a hundred and twenty million Kelvin, wouldn't he?" Peter asked. "I mean, he's got to break through the Coulomb barrier."

Tony nodded. "Unless, he's figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunnelling effect."

"If he could do that, he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion at any reactor on the planet." Bruce added.

Tony smiled. "Finally, another person who speaks English."

"Is that what just happened?" Steve asked, but Tony ignored his question, walking over to shake Bruce's hand.

"It's a huge honour to meet you, Dr Banner." He said. "Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."

Bruce looked taken aback. "Err ... thanks, I guess."

"Dr Banner is only here to track the cube." Fury growled out. "I was hoping you two might join him." He said, pointing at Tony and Peter.

"I'd start with that staff of his." Steve suggested. "It may be magical, but its blasts reminded me of a HYDRA weapon."

"I wouldn't know about that, but it is powered by the cube." Fury agreed.

"Thor, I need to talk to you. Now." Harry said, grabbing the Asgardian by the arm and dragging him out of the room.

-.-.-

Harry sat in one of the two chairs in the unused conference room. Thor sat opposite him, waiting for Harry to speak.

"How did I get here?" Harry asked.

"I do not know." Thor said. "I was temporarily banished by the All-Father, and he created the portal that brought me to Earth."

"So Odin created your portal?"

"He did." Thor confirmed.

"Why was I caught in the portal?"

Thor shrugged. "It is possible that the All-Father chose to summon you. But I believe that Heimdall was responsible. As the Gatekeeper of Asgard, he is the only one with the authority to decide to summon a being from another universe. Even the All-Father is not supposed to interfere with alternate universes."

"What reason would Heimdall have to do this?"

"Heimdall's ways are not to be questioned." Thor stated. "He is one of the most revered Asgardians, and he wields the blade Tyrfing, the key to the Bifrost. He sees all, and hears all. If he summoned you, it is for a reason."

"A reason ..." Harry mused. "But what?"

-.-.-

"I need to know something, friend." Thor said, as Harry stood up to leave the room. The two had sat in silence for at least ten minutes, both deep in thought. "Is Jane Foster safe?"

Harry smiled slightly. "She's fine, Thor. Jane and Darcy have gone to Norway, where they'll be safe. Loki won't look for them there."

"Do you know Jane?" Thor asked. "Is she not the most beautiful maiden in Midgard?"

Harry grinned. "Jane is beautiful, Thor. She lives in the flat opposite from me in New York. She talks about you all of the time, actually." He patted the Asgardian on the shoulder. "She's completely in love with you, Thor, if that's what you're worried about. You should come to dinner with us, once this is all over."

"Thank you for your offer, friend Potter." Thor said. "I think I would like that."

Harry shook his head. "Just call me Harry, Thor."

-.-End Chapter 11-.-

AN: And Loki's plan has changed! I decided the facility Hawkeye breaks into would become a prison/containment area, because SHIELD's gotta do something with all the high-powered criminals they have, right? They wouldn't put these people in a prison with regular people. Consider it my version of the Vault from the comics. Tyrfing is a sword from Norse mythology, although I'm not aware if it had any connection with Heimdall. It was either going to be Tyrfing or Excalibur, and I can't see why Norse gods would be wielding Arthurian weapons. With HYDRA, the Abomination, Hammer and the Vulture all now released, how will Loki's plans develop further? And why did Heimdall summon Harry?


End file.
